For developers and QA
How to simulate GPS on an iPhone to test a delivery app
Updated · By the Geovo team
Install your build on a real iPhone, then let a location simulator do the driving. Geovo moves the whole iPhone along real roads at each road's typical speed, with stops, waits and Pause, for any build including TestFlight, from a Mac, a Windows PC or the iPhone itself. It's for teams testing their own app, not for drivers.
What can you test without leaving your desk?
Anything in your app that reacts to the phone's position over time. Because Geovo changes the position Location Services reports for the whole iPhone, your app gets the same callbacks it would get on a real trip, in the foreground or in the background, on development, TestFlight and App Store builds alike.
- Live tracking: the courier or driver marker moving on the customer's map, and how smoothly it updates.
- ETA and distance left: whether they count down sensibly at road speeds, and recover after a stop.
- Arrival and pickup: geofences or distance checks that fire "arriving", "arrived" or "picked up".
- Leaving the planned route: off-route detection and re-routing when the phone goes a different way.
- Background behaviour: updates while the phone is locked in a pocket, and what happens when iOS pauses the app.
- Permissions: While Using vs Always, and Precise Location on or off (Apple's location controls).
- Trip records: distance, duration and the route drawn on a receipt or trip history.
| Scenario | How to simulate it |
|---|---|
| Courier approaching a drop-off | Teleport to the store, then Drive here to the customer's address; watch the ETA and arrival events |
| Waiting at a pickup | Add a wait at that stop (30 seconds to 1 hour), or press Pause and Resume by hand |
| A multi-drop round | Paste a Google or Apple Maps directions link with every stop, or click the stops on the map |
| Calm or hurried driving | Choose a driving style: Calm, Normal or Lively, around each road's typical speed |
| Driver goes off the planned route | Draw your own route that leaves the suggested path, or steer with the joystick |
| A GPS jump | Teleport between two far-apart points mid-trip |
| Phone locked in a pocket | Run the trip from Geovo's iPhone app and lock the phone |
| The same run every release | Export the route as GPX and import it next time, or keep it as a saved trip |
How do you make test runs repeatable?
Save every scenario as a file or a saved trip, so anyone on the team can replay the same path. Geovo exports a route you drew as GPX, exports the track it actually sent to the iPhone (with timestamps), and imports GPX and KML. Commit the files next to your tests; GPX is also the format Xcode uses for its simulated locations.
- Saved trips keep a route with its stops and waits, one click to run again.
- Schedules start a teleport or a route at a set time while Geovo is open, for example to line up with a scheduled order.
- Auto-stop hands the phone back to its real location after the time you set, so a test device never stays "on the road".
More on file formats: play a GPX file on iPhone and simulate a route.
What doesn't a GPS simulation cover?
Only the position from Location Services changes. Your app still sees the phone's real IP address, carrier and network, and motion sensors (accelerometer, step counter) don't move. If your app reads speed or course, check what it receives on your iOS version. And iOS can tell apps a location was simulated by software (iOS 15+), so test that path deliberately.
If your app, or a fraud-prevention SDK in it, rejects simulated locations, keep that check on and use a debug switch in your own test builds; Geovo doesn't try to hide simulation.
Can the whole team use it?
Yes. Geovo runs on Mac (Apple Maps built in) and Windows 10/11, so QA, support and product can reproduce a tracking bug without Xcode. Each Pro licence covers 2 computers and 2 iPhones. For testing location features more broadly, see testing location features on a real iPhone and testing geofences.
Not for drivers or couriers
This page is for people testing their own app. Don't use a simulated location in a live delivery platform's courier app, or anywhere your real position is relied on for pay, dispatch or safety. That breaks the platform's terms and can be fraud.
Try it
Try Geovo free for 15 minutes with a free account (email code, no password, no card). Pro is unlimited: $6.99/week, $12.99/month, $29.99 for 3 months, $79.99/year ($6.67/month) or $129.99 once for lifetime, on 2 computers and 2 iPhones. Download Geovo or see pricing.
Use it responsibly
Geovo is for lawful use only: testing apps and websites, keeping your exact position private from an app that doesn't need it, demos, travel planning and teaching how location services work. Don't use any location tool to mislead people who rely on your location, or to break the terms of an app or service you've agreed to. Stop simulating whenever your real location matters, for example in an emergency.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I test my delivery app's live tracking without driving?
- Yes. Install your build on a real iPhone and use Geovo's Drive here or a multi-stop route: the iPhone moves along real roads at each road's typical speed, and your app receives the locations as it would on a real trip.
- Does it work with TestFlight and App Store builds?
- Yes. Geovo changes the location for the whole iPhone, so any build sees it. Xcode's location simulation is tied to a debugging session of the app it runs.
- Can I simulate several stops with a wait at each?
- Yes. Paste a Google or Apple Maps directions link or click stops on the map, and set a wait from 30 seconds to 1 hour at each stop. You can also Pause and Resume mid-trip.
- Will my app know the location is simulated?
- It can. Since iOS 15, Core Location can mark a location as simulated by software (CLLocationSourceInformation). Geovo doesn't hide it, so test both paths in your app.
- Can QA test on Windows?
- Yes. Geovo for Windows 10 and 11 has the same Drive here, routes, waits, joystick and GPX import as the Mac app. Windows needs iTunes from apple.com for Apple's iPhone driver.
- Does it change the IP address or carrier?
- No. Geovo changes GPS only. For logic based on IP address, carrier or region, use your backend's own test overrides.
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